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When Clarissa heard the commotion, she turned to the child who was asleep next to her. She placed Dante on the carriage floor. The child continued to sleep peacefully with the cat next to him.

She could hear swords clanging. Suddenly, the carriage stopped. The sound of something dropping at the front had her taking a peak. She saw the body of the Coachman on the ground.

Clarissa stepped out of the carriage with her sword in one hand and a gun in the other. At that moment, a witch hovering at the top of the carriage tried to surprise her but met with death instead as Clarissa turned just in time to cut her head off.

She moved further towards the others to see them engaged in battle with the other witches who had attacked them.

Leonard had his hands full with three witches who kept dodging his attacks and also kept trying to attack him at the same time.

Raphael seemed to be hovering above the ground as he fought against several witches who came at him at the same time. When she looked closer at him, she noticed that he was actually flying. He sent branches flying to wrap and tear some of them apart and to pierce some in the heart.

Mari jumped in front of Clarissa to attack one of the witches who came at her.

She wondered where the shadow that was to protect her was. Then she saw what seemed like flashes of light pass through the body of three witches. Their bodies fell to the ground and immediately became pale like ice before shattering into a billion pieces. This put the other witches on alert.

Clarissa saw a witch sneakily moving to attack Leonard from behind. She aimed for her and without fail shot her target on the head.

The witch fell to the ground, boiling into a gooey mess before exploding into bits and pieces.

This drew the attention of some other witches to her.

Clarissa and her crew fought hard to save their lives.

They wondered how so many witches could have been lying in wait for them. It seems information was given out on where to find them.

Clarissa swung her sword and turned it underneath her arm, piercing the witch behind her who fell to her death. More witches attacked her and fought with all her might.

Soon enough she found herself fighting next to Leonard. Both of them backed each other.

They were now surrounded by witches who thought they had them backed against a corner but they were yet to know how wrong they were.

They both fought better with their backs together. They moved in sync slicing their enemies to bits, turning them into bubbling messes and cutting their heads off their bodies.

Raphael found them to be quite good at fighting. It seemed the princess was not one to be truffled with. It would be a pleasure watching her drive his friend crazy. But could she?

The number of witches significantly reduced. They realized they had underestimated their foe. The mission should have been simple. Grab the princess, Sheeba had instructed but many had met their deaths and fear clouded their hearts. The princess had not even used her powers yet many had fallen. What would have been their fates if she had done so? For the first time in their lives, they dreaded the cries of death that seemed to surround them.

Many of them immediately retreated into the forests and the three who had been fighting against Clarissa and Leonard tried to retreat too but two of them died at their hands before they could.

Clarissa shot the last one on the leg and she screeched in pain.

The sound of her voice was painful to one's ears. She crawled on the ground desperate to get away from her assailants. But the bullet in her leg was not helping her cause. It had been sprayed with holy water, it was something that tended to eat the flesh of witches in a painful manner. Until the bullet was removed, the pain would not stop.

Clarissa followed the witch little by little with her sword dragging on the ground behind her.

The sound of the sword increased the fear in the witch's heart and she tried even harder to get away.

Clarissa walked past the witch to stop in front of her.

The witch slowly looked up, shaking in fear. " Please, let me go. "

" Let you go? But I'm having so much fun. " Clarissa said with a sadistic smile.

There was something chilling about the princess that had Raphael watching her curiously.

Leonard watched on, used to her attitude.

The witch cared less about Sheeba's demands and more for her life at the moment. She tried to pierce Clarissa's leg with her talons but Clarissa was prepared for that and drove her sword into the witch's hand.

She screamed even louder than before.

" You beg for your life and still try to kill me. You really deserve no mercy. " and with that said drove her sword into the witch's brain.

She turned to a bubbling mess and exploded into bits and pieces.

Raphael smiled as did the cat who had come out of the carriage to be entertained by them.

Clarissa looked at her clothes soiled with black blood and sighed. " Now I need a change of clothes. "

Dante came out of the carriage, yawning. " Why did we stop? " he asked the group who laughed at him.

He looked around and noticed the odd smell that seemed like rotten meat and saw ugly black globs. " What happened? "

" Go back in. " Leonard said in reply.

He nodded and did as was asked but not before carrying his cat with him.

Raphael studied the cat and wondered why its eyes seemed so familiar.

When Clarissa came back from having her clothes changed, she went to Raphael to confront him. " It seems you have been keeping certain things from us. "

He raised an eyebrow. " Do you think I sent those witches...? "

" No, I don't. The witches were clearly not your doing. You have been keeping your real identity from us. You're not just a vampire, are you? " Clarissa asked with crossed arms.

Even Leonard watched him suspiciously.

" Since you wish to know so badly, I'm a Shaling. " one of his eyes changed to red and the other remained blue.

Clarissa's mind went to all the lessons she had received from when she was younger. Shalings were half faeries, half vampires.

" I see, she said. " I don't like secrets. The last thing I would do is to put my life in the hands of someone who keeps secrets from me. "

" Well, you never asked before. " he replied with a smile.

When she glared at him, he chuckled. " If it will ease your mind, there are no more secrets. "

There was a threat in her eyes and he knew that threat was serious.

She walked away and he wondered how she would face the secrets his friend kept.

Author's note

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